PHYSICAL CAPACITY AS MARKER FOR RATE OF AGING IN MID LIFE

Abstract Biological age captures the heterogeneity of aging by providing an estimation for rate of aging. As an alternative to the widely investigated laboratory biomarkers of aging, behavioral functional markers of physical capacity may offer a feasible alternative for identifying individuals at risk for negative aging trajectory. We aimed to examine the associations of different functional tests both together and as a composite score of physical capacity with rate of aging. We conducted a cross-sectional study, with midlife adults (age ~45) reporting being able to perform leisure physical exercise. Biological age was estimated using the Klemera-Doubal method and a set of physiological biomarkers; rate of aging, ∆Age, was defined as the difference between age and estimated biological age. Physical capacity was measured using a testing battery of 15 functional tests linked with six physical capacity domains. 116 participants completed the testing battery. For women, better results in terms of strength, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and balance tests were negatively correlated with ∆Age (r=0.38-0.29, p<0.05); for men, beyond these tests, agility was also negatively correlated with ∆Age (r=0.27-0.59, p<0.05). A sex-standardized composite score of physical capacity was negatively associated with ∆Age after controlling for chronological age, smoking, and education (r=-0.437, p=0.007; r=-0.491, p<0.001 for women and men respectively). The suggested physical capacity battery offers a functional assessment for ∆Age. Higher physical capacity metrics correlate with smaller ∆Age, corresponding with younger biological age. Measuring physical capacity may help to assess aging trajectory and offer a suitable behavioral intervention goal.

of memory loss and balance issues, heart disease and other health challenges than peers not actively engaged with the arts or passively receiving arts.Participation in performance arts can also improve communication across generations and support processing of loss.Senior centers and community centers with senior members rarely, however, position engagement in performing arts such as musical theater front and center.Programming in visual arts (e.g., painting) and traditional arts (e.g., crochet) tends to take precedence, and this can be detrimental to center members for whom participation in performing arts can be transformative.The presentation will explore meaning-making processes embedded in arts performance and argue for promoting performance opportunities among older adults, as well as suggest ways to replicate the model in other settings.

ACCELERATED AGING IN MID LIFE: BEHAVIORAL, EMOTIONAL, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MARKERS OF AGING Chair: Maayan Agmon
The aging process starts at midlife and is multifactorial, involving behavioral, emotional, and biological pathways.Most studies to date have focused on either older ages, when age-related diseases already are present, or a single mechanism, thus missing the full scope of the aging process.The proposed symposium aims to fill this gap by highlighting the many-sided nature of aging among midlife adults, especially the contributions of behavioral, emotional, and biological markers.We will discuss how physical capacity, sensory modulation, and exposure to violence are associated with biological age, reflecting the true state of the body and the diversity of aging.Understanding these relationships can both illuminate early markers of the aging process and support the design of tailored interventions to reduce the prevalence of accelerated aging.The symposium will present the latest research on the combined markers to gain insight into normal and accelerated aging.Professor Agmon will give an overview of newly developed behavioral markers that quantify the aging process, such as the photogrammetrybased analysis of posture and physical capacity battery.Roy Tzemah-Shahar will discuss the relationships between physical capacity metrics and rate of aging, Merav Asher will explicate the association between one's sensory profile and the rate of aging, and Khalil Iktilat will share how exposure to violence explains the accelerated aging of midlife Muslims.Finally, we will discuss the need for more research on midlife adults and the potential benefits of early interventions.

PHYSICAL CAPACITY AS MARKER FOR RATE OF AGING IN MID LIFE
Roy Tzemah-Shahar 1 , and Maayan Agmon 2 , 1. University of Haifa,HaZafon,Israel,2. University of Haifa,Haifa,HaZafon,Israel Biological age captures the heterogeneity of aging by providing an estimation for rate of aging.As an alternative to the widely investigated laboratory biomarkers of aging, behavioral functional markers of physical capacity may offer a feasible alternative for identifying individuals at risk for negative aging trajectory.We aimed to examine the associations of different functional tests both together and as a composite score of physical capacity with rate of aging.We conducted a cross-sectional study, with midlife adults (age ~45) reporting being able to perform leisure physical exercise.Biological age was estimated using the Klemera-Doubal method and a set of physiological biomarkers; rate of aging, ∆Age, was defined as the difference between age and estimated biological age.Physical capacity was measured using a testing battery of 15 functional tests linked with six physical capacity domains.116 participants completed the testing battery.For women, better results in terms of strength, flexibility, cardiorespiratory fitness, and balance tests were negatively correlated with ∆Age (r=0.38-0.29,p<0.05); for men, beyond these tests, agility was also negatively correlated with ∆Age (r=0.27-0.59,p<0.05).A sex-standardized composite score of physical capacity was negatively associated with ∆Age after controlling for chronological age, smoking, and education (r=-0.437,p=0.007; r=-0.491,p<0.001 for women and men respectively).The suggested physical capacity battery offers a functional assessment for ∆Age.Higher physical capacity metrics correlate with smaller ∆Age, corresponding with younger biological age.Measuring physical capacity may help to assess aging trajectory and offer a suitable behavioral intervention goal.

LOW SENSORY RESPONSIVENESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH ACCELERATED AGING IN MID LIFE Merav Asher, and Maayan Agmon, University of Haifa, Haifa, HaZafon, Israel
The rate of aging is affected by genetic, behavioral, and emotional mechanisms; one possibly additional mechanism is the ability of the nervous system to sense and react appropriately to stimuli.This ability, called sensory responsiveness, may be a factor in shaping the aging mechanism and could be used as a marker of aging.The aim of this study was to examine the association between sensory responsiveness levels and rate of aging in midlife.A total of 97 participants born between 1974-1976 (age 45.63±0.67 at end point, 46% women) were included.Biological age was estimated at age ~32 and ~45 using the Klemera-doubal method and a set of biomarkers.Rate of aging was calculated by the difference in estimated biological age scores divided by passing years, reflecting temporal change in biological age.Sensory responsiveness was evaluated using the Sensory Responsiveness Questionnaire Scale, identifying high or low sensory responsiveness subtypes.We found that low sensory responsiveness was positively associated with rate of aging while controlling for chronological age, social engagement, and physical performance (linear regression, r=0.211; p=0.038).High sensory responsiveness subtype was not significantly associated with rate of aging (linear regression, r=-0.02;p=0.843).To conclude, low sensory responsiveness subtype may have a significant role in identifying the rate of aging in midlife.These findings highlight the importance of sensory responsiveness evaluations as a marker for rate of aging and the need for interventions focusing on sensory responsivity difficulties, as a mean of supporting healthier aging.

THE LINK BETWEEN VIOLENCE EXPOSURE AND BIOLOGICAL AGING IN MID-LIFE MUSLIMS IN ISRAEL Khalil Iktilat, and Maayan Agmon, University of Haifa, Haifa, HaZafon, Israel
Trauma and accumulated chronic stress throughout life are associated with negative health outcomes; more specifically, exposure to violence has been linked to an accelerated aging state.In Israel's Arab sector, rates of violence have been steadily rising for the past several years.Homicide rates, relative to population size, are seven times higher among Arabs.We aimed to determine the effects of exposure to violence on estimation of biological age as a measure of rate of aging within the ethnic minority of Muslims in Israel.We have conducted a cross-sectional study that included 375 participants age 50.5±6.9years, of which 61% women.Biological age was estimated using the Klemera-Doubal method and physiological biomarkers; exposure to violence was measured using the Screen for Adolescent Violence Exposure questionnaire followed by a principal component analysis.The average total score of violence exposure was 1.83±0.36(range 1-5, 1 corresponds with lower exposure).We found a positive and significant relationship among biological age, the "direct evidence of violence" component, and the "evidence of severe violence in the immediate environment" component (r = 0.119, p<0.05; r = 0.111, p<0.05, respectively).These results demonstrate that exposure to violence negatively affects health and accelerates aging within Israel's Muslim minority.Comprehensive, culturally-and gender-adapted programs are required to reduce violence and address its contribution to the negative aging trajectory in this population.

CHALLENGES OF VERY LATE LIFE: PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, CAREGIVING, AND AGING PERCEPTIONS
Chair: Daniela Jopp Co-Chair: Kathrin Boerner The very old are the fastest growing population in developed countries, yet research on this age group remains limited.There are, however, specific challenges of very old age that differ from those in earlier late life phases.Very old individuals and their families may thus have unique needs and may require adapted services.In this symposium, we address selected challenges associated with reaching very old age, including physical and mental health issues, as well as implications of both receiving and providing care.Ribeiro and colleagues report on centenarians' health and morbidity profiles using the Portuguese census, by comparing individuals aged 100 years old in 2011 and 2021.Jopp and colleagues present findings from the first national Swiss centenarian study on centenarians' health, cognition, and well-being.Gomes da Rocha and colleagues investigate depressive symptoms in Swiss centenarians during the COVID-19 pandemic, showing notably elevated scores.Kim and colleagues focus on aging perceptions and their correlates among dyads of very old parents and their old children from South Korea, highlighting the impact of the care experience for both dyad